Haldenstein - Via Rätia (6b)

If you are looking for a climbing spot to take it easy on a sunny winter day, Haldenstein might be just for you. Zero approach time, and safety from snow speak for themselves. While you can put your fitness to the test in routes like La Strada (6c, 6c, 6c+, 6b), there are also several moderate climbs through the south-face. They are all around 5 pitches long, and offer a nice variety of face climbing spiced with corners, cracks and slabs. This time we picked Via Rätia (6a, 5c, 6b, 6a, 6a), which we had climbed already in 2018. Last time, we came with the experience of only a handful of multipitches under our belts, so we were curious to see how it would go now, being a bit less inexperienced.

Klettergarten Haldenstein (Feb 2021)

L1 6a (30m)
The first couple of meters are hiking up the choss, but soon you approach solid rock. Solid, and surprisingly blank...getting over the entry boulder felt almost as tricky as last time. The steep corner before the belay is comparatively easy, but still not easy easy, there are just no obvious jugs to pull yourself straight up.

First pitch (6a), and the line of Via Rätia.

L2 5c (30m)
The original topo states 5b for this pitch, but in the context of the route, we would probably rate it more towards 5c. You start with a traverse to the far right (don't go up after the first bolt), which has been bolted quite awkwardly, unfortunately. After the traverse, a steep face section with so-so holds (both size and solidity) needs to be negotiated, before you smear-traverse back left on massively juggy flakes. Lastly, a slabby section concludes this pretty loopy pitch (rope drag!).

L3 6b (25m)
The crux pitch presents an interesting mix of two athletic roofs linked by a technical corner. Indeed, granite skills will serve you well on this pitch, or at least reduce the pump... After a slabby intro, the first belly requires sturdy laybacking on decent holds. The subsequent corner has crack-like features, which are a tick too far apart to just cruise through. From a resting jug you can inspect the second roof, which does not offer an obvious solution right away. From last time I remembered that I had troubles reaching the massive jugs after the roof. This time, I managed with an ok-thumb-in-hand-jam on the lip of the roof, while Miriam found an undercling that I had apparently missed.

Steep roofs and corners in L3 (6b).

L4 6a (30m)
The Haldenstein-Topo does not feature this pitch, but it definitely exists. The metal plate at the start says 5a, but that is hardly true compared to the other pitches. For us it felt more like 6a, give or take. Again we wondered about the bolt placement - first bolt 30cm from the anchor, followed by a ~5m (easy) runout... Anyway, the way to the corner is paved with jugs and pedestals, and the corner is where the action is. Quite technical it deemed us a question of small adjustments that lead to success here. After the corner you hike up some sparsely protected slabs to arrive at the penultimate belay.

Technical Corner in L4 (6a).

L5 6a (25m)
Similar to most routes, the final pitch leads over the headwall-slab, which is indeed pretty blank, but relatively shallow. Miriam did a great job and kept it together, even when faced with the noticeably longer runouts than in the steep sections before. Again, the bolt placement is all over the place...so you might want to take precautions about that rope drag. But maybe we just climbed it the wrong way, and accidentally combined different routes X).

Top-down view of the headwall-slab (L5, 6a).

From the top anchor you can manage to rappel down in two gos with 2x50m, but the second rappel to the ground is a close call, and you better keep towards west to reach higher terrain.

Location of the line Via Rätia (6b).

Conclusion: Via Rätia compares very well to the other moderate, local routes, and for me it is certainly one of the more rewarding choices. It is homogeneous, varied, and well-protected. Just in some places the bolts could have been placed better, but at least they are there. Climbing it again after three years felt definitely easier, but the entry boulder (L1) still has its edge, and the first roof in L3 still requires a firm grip.

Addendum: To round off a great day, I racked up again for the first pitch of Gabi D. (6c+). Great choice, turned out to be a first-class pitch! Delicate face-start, dirty scrambling intermezzo, steep crack with corner support, balancy traverse under the roof, wow! With a 50m rope you can not quite lower back down, but far enough ;)